Metrolink station usage

[158756]

A few weeks old now, but a someone has done a freedom of information request for usage of the tram stops in Manchester.

The full data is in the table in the newspaper report, or you can download it as a CSV file by clicking the "Get the data" link at the bottom of the table ( it won't let me copy the link unfortunately)

Which Metrolink tram stations are busiest – and quietest – in Greater Manchester?

The identity of Greater Manchester’s most and least used Metrolink tram stations can be revealed for the first time in years.

www.messengernewspapers.co.uk

New footfall data released following a Freedom of Information request by the Local Democracy Reporting Service shows that St Peter’s Square remains the most-used Metrolink stop, with nearly 4.5 million passengers boarding or alighting at the city centre station in 2024. It retains its crown as top stop from 2021/22, the last time a ranking was released by Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM).

Deansgate-Castlefield and Piccadilly Gardens retain their position as second and third-placed stations, although they have swapped over since 2022, with the former now used by 2.1m people compared to the Gardens’ 1.7m.

The three least-used tram stops are all in Wythenshawe. Only 23,850 people visited least-used Robinswood Road last year, the station after Wythenshawe Town Centre when heading to Manchester Airport. Crossacres, with 42,950 passengers, and Peel Hall, with 45,250, round out the bottom three.

It's not clear from the article what these numbers are actually measuring, or how they measure them, but the total for all stops adds up similarly (but not the same as) to the number of journeys on the network, so I guess it must be boardings (ie 1 boarding per journey). No information on how they treat journeys involving interchanges.


6 of the bottom 8 stops are in Wythenshawe.

Highest ranking stops by line outside the city centre -

Altrincham 6th - 1,512,310
Bury 9th - 1,281,620
Chorlton 12th - 904,780
Exchange Quay 17th - 665,550
New Islington 22nd - 582,530 (if you count that as city centre then Etihad Campus 27th and Ashton-under-Lyne 34th)
The Trafford Centre 24th - 490,260
Manchester Airport 38th - 331,260
Shaw & Crompton 39th - 312,620

Surprising you have to go so far down to find anywhere on the Rochdale line.

 

[mangad]

The article alludes to it being based on ticket data, so they'll be basing it on ticket sales (from machines, contactless, combined National Rail tickets and so on). Obviously you have to factor in things like System One travelcards, day tickets etc. But you can factor that into the data. Won't ever be 100% accurate but you can get close.

The figures for St Peter's Square being what they are are quite amazing given this will be journey start and end data (the article specifically says it's not footfall data). I know the station's busy but I always assumed it was more because of it being a useful interchange station. Meanwhile MediaCityUK's far lower than somewhere like Sale and Chorlton!

 

[py_megapixel]

I know the station's busy but I always assumed it was more because of it being a useful interchange station.

It does have service to all destinations but it's not actually very well situated as an interchange. I think for most journeys it would be more obvious to use either Cornbrook or Victoria.

I also wonder if some of the passengers who do change at St Peter's Square mistakenly tap out and back in again, since you have to leave the station and walk across the public square to reach the platform for the opposite direction.

 

[Paul AC]

[St Peter's Square] does have service to all destinations but it's not actually very well situated as an interchange. I think for most journeys it would be more obvious to use either Cornbrook or Victoria.

Cornbrook (and also Deansgate-Castlefield) - very cold and windswept at certain times of year, being up on viaducts. Heading into Manchester from the Altrincham direction I always change at St Peter's Square for that reason.

Incidentally I always get the first tram from Timperley towards the city centre, even if I'm going to Piccadilly and it's a Bury service, rather than wait the nominal 6 minutes for a Piccadilly service; then change at St Peter's Square: usually there's an Ashton or E*t*d Campus working before the tram from Altrincham turns up. This also complies with my personal "a train/tram in the hand is worth two in the timetable" rule. I can then also walk to Oxford Road station if need be.

 

[Mcr Warrior]

Cornbrook (and also Deansgate-Castlefield) - very cold and windswept at certain times of year, being up on viaducts. Heading into Manchester from the Altrincham direction I always change at St Peter's Square for that reason.

Me too. If you're interchanging at St. Peter's Square, you're more likely to be able to board a busy(ish) tram heading for Shaw and Crompton (or Rochdale Town Centre), as more folk tend to alight at St. Peter's Square, than they do at the preceding tram stops.

 

[AverageJoe]

The article alludes to it being based on ticket data, so they'll be basing it on ticket sales (from machines, contactless, combined National Rail tickets and so on). Obviously you have to factor in things like System One travelcards, day tickets etc. But you can factor that into the data. Won't ever be 100% accurate but you can get close.

The figures for St Peter's Square being what they are are quite amazing given this will be journey start and end data (the article specifically says it's not footfall data). I know the station's busy but I always assumed it was more because of it being a useful interchange station. Meanwhile MediaCityUK's far lower than somewhere like Sale and Chorlton!

You can also factor in certain areas like Rochdale and Oldham that have a high passenger load but don’t pay for tickets.

Whenever I had ticket inspectors on my tram no matter how busy the stations were between Rochdale and Oldham the majority would for some reason prefer to wait for the next tram… can’t figure out why.